Susana de Valentin
Introduction
First, we must clarify certain terms as a point of departure. Israel, which translated from Hebrew, means someone who fought against God and won him, is the name given to Jacob, a descendant of Abraham, patriarch of Israel and father of multitude nations, after batting a mysterious angel. From him, twelve children were born, so-called twelve tribes of Israel, the Israelites or early generations of ancestors of the Israeli people. Jew is anyone who descends from the tribe of Judah, one of the sons of Jacob, a name which was used, however, for all the children and descendants of all the tribes, their religion and its practitioner. Israeli is the national of the current and modern State of Israel, founded in 1948.
Knowing the oldest and ancestral history of the Jews, going back to the first settlers of Israel and in what remote corner of the planet they emerged, how its people is organized, the diaspora, the special relationship between Jews and Yahvé, which scored them from its origins as chosen people, are essential elements to understand the nature and the current events that are occurring today. Similarly, the passage of the Jews of Spain and its historical-cultural heritage in the country since the first demonstrations of the diaspora to their expulsion in the sixteenth century, show a historical moment in which the peninsula had a privileged role in the development of the process of the Spanish identity and of the Jewish, Arab and Christian traditions and culture. Toledo is an evidence that once it was possible the coexistence of different religions. After the Decree of 1492 and melancholy farewell from Jews to whom once was their home, such as ours, they went away to new lands and broke off a part of the essence of the Spain, of ourselves, a mixture of three religions and rich cultures.
The knowledge and understanding of Israeli people ancient history, specifically, of their land before the age of Christ until the complete disappearance of Israel as a political and territorial unity, after the Roma domination and the destruction of the Temple of David, also of the religious element that inherently characterizes them, and, finally, of the time that they passed in Spain, without going beyond its borders, to the confines of the modern age, is important in the approach of what is Israel now and how we raise our diplomatic relations with its current State, as a part of an international community governed, among other principles, the universality of inter-state relations. Therefore, this article will focus on the following points: 1. Israel in Antiquity; 2. The Jews of Spain; 3. Spain-Israel diplomacy.
To make the article interesting and bearable to anyone interested and to induce him to a quick understanding and reflection on the major points that characterize the Jewish people and the rich Spanish identity, that now are approaching the two peoples, Spain and Israel, without more intentions, it will be published three articles referred to the three previous points in three different publications. The first and current one is structured around a total of ten paragraphs, and one more for clarify.
Israel in Antiquity
Abraham, Jacob and Moses
Kilometers of distance ago, we began our history in 3,000 BC, in the late of Neolithic period, in particular, in the vast region of the Fertile Crescent, the area comprising the former territories of Egypt, Levant, Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Persia (Iran). The origin and consolidation of the Jewish people appeared in this territory. Abraham born in the prosperous and commercial city of Iraq called Ur. In one of his travels, he heard the words of Yahvé, who told him to go to the holy land and ordered him to be a father of crowds. Also, they established the Divine Covenant that now constitutes the common ground of Jewish identity. Soon after, Jacob, descendant of Abraham, named Israel after fighting with one enigmatic angel, fathered the twelve tribes of Israel, the ancestors of the Israeli people, and also the twelve types of human existence. However, Jacob and his family, as a result of necessity, went down to Egypt. They departed from the holy land and became slaves of the pharaohs until their complete liberation by Moses, member of the Levite tribe. Later, Moses received the Decalogue, or Ten Commandments of Yahvé, on the Sinai’s Mount, marking a milestone in the creation of Israel’s national life and in their religion. Then, between Moses and God was established a binding pact through which the tribes of Israel were committed in the fulfillment of divine principles in exchange for being the divine nation. Thus, it was arisen the original core of Judaism. During the exodus, the Israelites were in search of the land-promised, given by Yahvé, who guided and protected them at a time. Finally, they arrived at the territory of Canaan and settled it, the region which currently comprises the West Bank, Gaza Strip, the western part of Jordan and some parts of Syria and Lebanon. Lacking political unity, and submitted to the governments of the various tribes, the fist Israelites showed weakness as they were surrounded by a number of enemy towns.
Monarchy
Had they hope for survival? It was necessary that the monarchy was established so that Israeli people enjoyed its best in history. In the twelfth century BC, Saul became its first king, either by popular demand, either by divine will. But he was soon replaced by David, a character of great importance for the history of Judaism. King David, noted for his vast knowledge in various areas, particularly in politics, while united in his person the various scattered tribes into one kingdom, yours as well as in military affairs, to conquer new territories, to expand and to incorporate the city of Jerusalem, which became the capital of the kingdom and center of worship for all Israel. Later, under the reign of Salomon, it was possible the construction of a temple, known as the Temple of Jerusalem, trying to extol the high spirituality of the capital city, in order to please and give worship to the Lord. It was the peak of Jewish spirituality.
Back to the Jewish king point, it is sure that under the mandate of Rehoboam, Salomon’s son, it began the time of the dispersion and the decline of the Israelite nation. Different treatment policies between the territories of the north and south were applied. As a result, the kingdom split in two parts, that of Israel and Judah, what is interpreted as a regression of the Jewish people.
Assyria
Having been a long time independent territories in the eight century BC, the Assyrian empire invaded the Kingdom of Israel and incorporated it into their domains. Israeli people were sent into exile to different lands within the empire, in order to prevent uprisings. They mingled with locals and forget their language, faith and customs. They are the tribes of the House of Israel.
Generally, the kingdom of Judah, made by the children of the two surviving tribes, Judah and Benjamin, managed to survive becoming a vassal state and a taxpayer of Mesopotamian Empire, although surrounded by enemy territory.
Babylon
Taking into account the changes that began in the Middle East during the seventh century BC, once Babylon became independent and then it conquest Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, the Empire was disintegrated in brief. Then, the Empire Babylon emerged. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, invaded with its forces the villages of Judea, incorporated them in the Empire and destroyed the only city that showed resistance, Jerusalem. In turn, David Temple was devastated, priests killed and the Jews were exiled to different territories of the Empire. Unlike what happened to the ten missing tribes of the kingdom of Israel, those of Judah enjoyed a certain freedom granted by the monarch, which marked the beginning of a new era in Jewish history, that of the captives in Babylon, in which they preserved their identity instead of mingling with locals. This allowed them to keep alive their traditions and culture.
Persia
Nothing was maintained eternally. In the sixth century BC, when the vassal states and former allies of the neo-Babylonian Empire started to strengthen, it became weaken. Persia and Achaemenid dynasty incorporated through successive battles Babylonian territories to their domains making a new Persia Empire. At the head, King Cyrus II the Great became the new leader of the exiled Jew, the banish children descendants of Judah and Benjamin.
Israel Theocracy
Having been suffering a constant aggression by the previous monarchs, the situation of the Jews was dilated with the Persian king when he gave them a beneficial. It allowed Jewish to return to Judah and to build a new Temple in Jerusalem. Since then a new period in the history of Israel was opened, known as the Second Temple Period, in which context a theocracy was instituted, accepted by the Persian court. This autonomy, controlled, certainly, was also enjoyed by Jews during the Hellenistic domination. In the fourth century BC, Alexander the Great succeeded to defeat at the battle of Issus, Darius III, last of the Persian kings, leading to the subsequent occupation of Syria, Judea, Egypt and Persia by his troops. However, his early death led to the disintegration of his young Hellenic empire among three generals. In regard to Judah, its territory became part of the kingdom of Egypt. The contact between the prosperous cities of Greece and the Jews permitted to enrich Jewish culture and its traditions thanks to the new thinking provided by the Greek.
Hellenic yoke started to be a problem. In the second century BC, a new aggressive Hellenizing policy given by the Seleucid dynasty led the insurrection of the people of Judea breaking free of that oppression.
Rome
Meanwhile, the future Roman Empire started to be founded. Again, the Jews lost their independence once they were placed under on the Roman authorities in the first century BC. His religion was certainly tolerated. An administrative figure of the province, also the prefect or the Roman procurator, emerged. At the time of Herod the Great, was born Jesus, who for Christians is the Messiah of Israel and for the Muslims is one of the most important prophets known with Isa’s name. However, when Christianity became the official religion of the Empire, while the Jewish religion and Christianity differed on fundamental issues, the Jews became strangers, suspicious and a potential of political claims. As a result, they were persecuted and their churches were desecrated. The Jews staged several revolts in favor of their independence that were brutally suppressed by the Roman legions. In the first century AD, the Emperor Titus massacred villages in Judea and destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem. The Wailing Wall kept to standing as an emblem of the Roman victory over the Jewish people. Judea became a province of Syria Palaestina, in memory of the people of the Philistines which disappeared centuries ago.
Current days
Dark days for the Jewish spirituality started from them. A term of Palestine was widely used by non-Jewish population for the designation of the territory until a millennium later when it was founded the State of Israel and it was considered useful to distinguish Israel from Palestine.
End Part I
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